The Hartmann Report

If Democrats don’t get their media and intellectual infrastructure act together, the hard-right narrative being promoted by America’s most toxic media will continue to swing elections across the country. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Does this election prove that we need to make voting an affirmative legal right? How far have Republican voter purges and dirty tricks shifted the vote? Ari Berman, senior reporter at Mother Jones, and author of "Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America" shares news on a recent victory for Texas voters and more.Philanthropist and founder of Next Gen America- Tom Steyer- joins Thom to reflect on how the pending election could impact the planet- and what we must do about it!And reporter Trimmel Gomes gets us caught up with the vote in Florida.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The world is watching-- the Republican Party has spent the last 20 years pushing America in an openly fascistic direction.. will they triumph?Greg Palast joins Thom with three scenarios Trump could use to shoplift this election- constitutionally!.. Nikki Fried, Democrat from Florida shares her take on the vote in Florida and Republican tactics there... Plus- a listener reports on Trumpers attacking Democrats at a rally in California.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Economist Dr. Richard Wolff looks beyond the deceptive third quarter numbers, showing us that economy is much more fragile than the incumbent president would have us believe. Richard Wolff joins Thom Hartmann to discuss how President Trump is faking an economic recovery to bolster himself up before the presidential election. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Will the electoral dirty tricks of the Republicans lead to a victory for the power of the right-wing billionaires? Or will an overwhelming Democratic turnout help the enlightenment idea of America survive? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Trump doesn't care how many people in Omaha are stuck for hours in the freezing cold, over 3 miles from the nearest road or parking lot, after he left his rally, putting some in the hospital. He clearly doesn't care how many people die of Covid. It's all about protecting the money and power of the very rich. And joining Thom for a long form discussion today is author of "The Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right", journalist Anne Nelson with an explosive and comprehensive account of the decades-long relationship between the Republican Party and the conservative Council for National Policy (CNP).See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Progressive powerhouse Pramila Jayapal joins Thom live to talk about the future of the Progressive Caucus. Can it be transformed to assert much greater accountability among its members on the issues that count? And what are the crucial issues a Democratic majority should pursue?Also, Progressive leader Mark Pocan takes on listener questions; What is the most important thing we can be doing right now to ensure a fair vote?.. How should Democrats in Congress respond to years of Republican rule-breaking if they take power?..See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More evidence has surfaced that violence at Black Lives Matter rallies in Minnesota was committed by right-wingers intent on starting a race war. This is just the latest in a long line of right-wing terrorists in this country. Is this a story that deserves more of our attention?And David Vine, author of the new book 'The United States of War" joins Tom. Could we really have been at war 95% of American history? And then Jared Yates Sexton joins Thom to talk about his book- 'American Rule: How A Nation Conquered the World But Failed its People"See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As Amy Coney Barret take a seat on the high court almost literally on the eve of the election, and after Republicans broke with tradition and pushed through a last minute judge, denied Obama his Supreme Court pick and federal judges, and have thereby packed the federal courts- how should Democrats respond, and what would their options be if they take power?What steps may a partisan court take to help Trump stay in office even if he loses the election? Did Kavanaugh already tip his hand?Plus - Dr Justin Frank looks back on the amicus brief he filed when the Supreme Court stole the 2000 presidential election. Could what is happening today reflect the trauma of those events?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Only an established, legal “right to vote“ can defeat Republican voter suppression. Increasingly, this election is coming down to the simple question of how effective 40 years of concerted Republican voter suppression efforts will be.Republicans are doing everything they can to keep people from voting, and then, when people do vote, to try to prevent those votes from being counted. When this election is over, if American democracy survives, our first project has to be to establish a firm, irrevocable right to vote for all American citizens.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Daley, contributor to New Republic, joins Thom to discover just what is happening to your ballot. David's latest piece 'The Cancer on Your Ballot' looks inside the GOP’s drive for permanent minority rule and examines the right-wing assault on voting rights.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new study found Trump's poor response to Covid is responsible for at least 197,000 American deaths. Will America wake up to the consequences of having an incompetent reality TV star for president? Is Trump deliberately spreading chaos so that Joe Biden will inherent an ungovernable country?Plus- a man in Germany is facing charges for using pepper spray to keep the unmasked away from him. Is this assault or self defense?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Investigative reporter Greg Palast has got his eye on the Georgia vote. Could the possibly illegal purge of 198,000 voters in Georgia- and as many as 16 million nationwide- determine the Senate majority- or even the presidency?Thom gives the lowdown on the second and hopefully last EVER debate with Donald Trump.Plus Moe Vela, former Senior Adviser to VP Joe Biden joins Thom- how crucial is this election to LGBTQ and to Hispanic communities?Also, how did a company printing Ohio's ballots- one that flew a Trump flag over their headquarters- manage to send tens of thousands of ballots to the wrong address?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What are the real values Americans have always proclaimed, if imperfectly executed? Will we vote for truth, justice, and the American way? Or will a criminal and grifter move us closer to fascism?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Electoral College loophole has let two presidents out of the last three ascend to power without the will of the people behind them, leading to catastrophes beyond mention. Rep Jamie Raskin wants to put an end to the electoral college once and for all.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mark Weisbrot of the Center for Economic & Policy Research. Nearly one year later, Bolivians vote to repudiate coup and reclaim democracy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Covid infections now represent the third leading cause of death in America. Whether America ends up with a Truth and Reconciliation Commission like South Africa did, or we simply put Trump and his enablers on trial for their crimes and all the deaths they caused, we must hold these people accountable.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Progressive Congressmen Ro Khanna and Mark Pocan join Thom to take on listener questions. Has Trump left us in limbo with no Covid relief agreement?- and which side is really doing the court packing?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our president endorsed the extra-judicial killing of a left wing murder suspect- is this practice for authoritarianism?; some say oppression is always tried first on outsiders and the vulnerable. Author Jean Reith Schroedel brings Thom a look at the ongoing history of voter suppression of Native Americans. And then her fellow author Harley L. Zephier adds his fascinating perspective- is this present moment an opportunity to begin to deeply heal the circle of all life that has been broken?We also hear from Garland Gilchrist, the Lieutenant governor of Michigan, on the right wing militia members who had plans to kidnap the governor.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Richard Wolff joins Thom to examine why the unemployment numbers we see can’t be trusted.Professor Richard Wolff is an economist and the co-founder of Democracy At Work and author of numerous books; his latest is “The Sickness is the System: When Capitalism Fails to Save Us from Pandemics or Itself.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Does the court have way too much power, taken unto itself? Would it constitutional for Congress to rein in that power? Also... Is the People of Praise a cult? Will Amy Comey Barret ever get away from this group's hold on her mind? What and with whom are her allegiances? Would she uphold the 14th through 16th amendments to the constitution? Does the Supreme Court represent the diversity of beliefs in this country? And does getting so many partition judges on the court represent the endgame of the 'vast right wing conspiracy' Hilary Clinton warned us about?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As Trump spreads Covid to his rally attendees, is his apparent herd immunity strategy just another aspect of billionaire indifference to the lives of common people?- and could all the lives lost or damaged in pursuit of immunity be in vain anyway? Dr. Richard Wolff joins Thom to talk about it. Will Trump's Supreme Court pick deliver on the investment the billionaires have put into her career and the career of the many young right wing judges Republicans have been stuffing the courts with?Plus - We listen to Amy K. and other Democratic Senators grilling right-winger Judge Amy in the Senate hearings. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Will Trump's partisan Supreme Court pick hold up LGBTQ rights? Does she think the 14th amendment is illegitimate? If we lost it, would we therefore lose equal representation, abortion, and privacy rights under the law? Should Biden add judges to the court to rebalance many years of Republican court packing?Plus - Sheldon Whitehouse lays out the Republican scam directly to congress.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thom reviews the Senate hearings on Amy Coney Barrett.Biden and Harris need to stop avoiding the question and point out that six years of unprecedented partisan actions by Mitch McConnell have left our courts, particularly our Supreme Court, badly out of balance. There are a variety of ways to restore that balance, and all need to be examined, including blocking the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett and increasing the size of the Supreme Court.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Americans with and without health insurance lose their homes and their lives because they cannot afford medical care. Samuel Metz, MD of Mad as Hell Doctors joins Thom to discuss the vital necessity of universal healthcare, the new SCOTUS pick and Donald Trump on steroids.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From the Turner Diaries, to Camp of the Saints, and now to Qanon! Thom Hartmann exposes the dangerous history of Republican conspiracy theories! Professor Jason Stanley, author of How Fascism Works joins Thom to analyze Trump's corrosive effect on US democracy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Savage capitalism is the conservative world view. Even now that Trump himself has Covid, he still thinks 1,000+ Americans a day dying from the disease is a case of 'too bad, so sad'. Have we reached the full expression of extreme right-wing libertarianism? This is part and parcel with Republican opposition to regulating poisonous pollution, dangerous cars, gambling banks, and every other danger to anybody who's not rich; "Suck it up, you're on your own!"Plus - could Trump be criminally liable for knowingly spreading a deadly disease in New Jersey? Did Congressman Gomert kill at least one of his supporters at a maskless event last month? Do they even care?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Now the GOP is more and more resembling a softer American version of the Taliban: embrace the religious fanatics, openly oppose public education and science, and do everything possible to disempower women. Thom breaks down the VP debate and the art historian's interpretation of the fly encounter. Tom Perez of the DNC joins the show for the latest on avoiding voter suppression and the importance of the VP debate. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Norwegian sociologist and comedian Harald Eia joins Thom- but when the leader of the free world is a joke, it's not funny. Is America as free a country as we imagine? What can we learn from the Scandinavian economic model?Plus- how long is it going to take to recover from the damage that Trump has done to the economy? Economics Professor Richard Wolff gives a historical perspective.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Investigator Greg Palast is watching the Republican voter suppression campaign go into overdrive. Also, Judd Legum of Popular Info joins Thom with the story of how influencers on Facebook are once again swinging the election with their lies. But will Facebook do anything about it?Plus- why did the Secretary of State in Texas just have his staff quit and request a federal investigation?... Can we bring in enough new voters across America to overcome the disenfranchisement?.. What's going on in Pennsylvania?.. The pros and cons of proportional representation... And what will America be like when we get through this period of crisis?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Now that Scott Atlas' "Herd Mentality" policy has put a president in the hospital, will post-Covid Trump become more like Brasil's Bolsinaro or Britain's Boris in his attitude? Is Trump's hospital car ride sealed in with Secret Service agents emblematic of the fact he doesn't care about what happens to other people? After all this will Americans finally get wise to Republican scams, and the fact their party don't give a damn about average people?- or will Trump get a chance to defund Social Security, kill the ACA, threaten Roe, further cut taxes on the rich, pollute the air, and leave us unprotected from Covid? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why did the debate between Trump and Biden devolve into interruptions and lies? Is there a connection to the deep racism Trump is actively courting- and encouraging? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Deportation, torture, forced pregnancy, abuse of prisoners, these are some of the things Donald Trump's supreme court pick has allowed, approved, and voted for over her career as judge, and if Amy Coney Barrett gets to the supreme court, we are going to have to worry about a lot more than just Roe v. Wade, but every decision by the Supreme Court that has ever protected you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The risk of losing a president could be a national security crisis. But odds are Trump will recover- but will he be weakened- and changed- by the experience?Kristin Urquiza, founder of Marked By COVID, describes her inspiration to help others after the tragic loss of her father to Covid-19.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Eli Zupnick, Communications Director for Fix Our Senate joins Thom to discuss the role of the Senate filibuster. Also, how could Democrats be playing hardball on the Senate confirmation of 'Aunty Amy'?If we go the 12th amendment route of letting state legislatures elect president, would that be the old state bodies or the post-election version? Could special elections shift the balance of power in the Senate even without a blue wave?And Mark Pocan- one of the Progressive leaders in Congress- takes listener calls.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wisconsin just pulled more than 100,000 mostly minority voters off the rolls- and Greg Palast has caught them red-handed. Can something be done in time for November, or could Jim Crow Wisconsin hand Trump the election?Plus - Is Donald Trump running against Joe Biden or against a Democratic America?- will the Democrats be able to capture the misplaced anger of the working class?Was Trump Involved In Bolivia's Coup? Thom checks in with Mark Weisbrot, Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is every single part of Donald Trump's presidency a con-job, just like every part of his life? His wealth- like his policies, promises, and pretend-patiotism- are all a con. How much debt are we finding out that Trump owes and to whom?Did Trump's son-in-law Jared shake down the middle east for a billion dollars? What scams are Trump's daugher Ivanka working and how is Trump avoiding taxes by shoveling assets to her? And let's not forget Trump's personal lawyer is in prison for tax fraud done on behalf of Trump!Thom is joined by the ghostwriter of Trump's book 'Art of the Deal', Tony Schwartz on Trump and his latest book 'Dealing with the Devil'. What deficit in his innermost life is Trump forever trying to overcome?Plus - Why is Brad Parscale on suicide watch?.. And why are so many people grinding their teeth?.. Will Trump's tax returns be the thing that pops the cork on the whole nightmare of him being president?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Back in the day, Donald Trump’s niece alleges, he stole hundreds of millions of dollars from his father‘s estate, screwing his other family members and the IRS (you and me). Now Trump is going to have to come up with hundreds of millions of dollars and the question is: which dictator is he going to borrow it from, and what part of American policy or American assets is he willing to sell off, betray or destroy to get it?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Palast Investigative team held a joint press conference with Black Voters Matter Fund founders LaTosha Brown and Cliff Albright, calling on Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to restore the nearly 200,000 voters he wrongly purged before the election.Thom is joined by investigative reporter Greg Palast: “We are asking the Secretary of State to name the so-called expert, who by law must be a U.S. Postal Service licensee, and to meet with our experts to go over our list name by name and find out how his office got this so disastrously wrong — purging voters for moving from their registration residence who never moved.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As we look towards the first debate between Trump and Biden- hosted by Chris Wallace of Fox News this week- why are the truly major issues of our times seemingly not on the official agenda?Plus- How to tell young people and "Never Biden" voters what's really on the line here... How to get into the Electoral College... The prevalence of right-wing terrorism... How can Democrats head off Trump from using the 12th amendment or other means to steal the election? The trust level of Diebold voting machines... And, how can Democrats learn to be more strategic- to "take names and kick ass"?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A major new study by Citigroup quantifies how much money the economy is losing due to anti-black discrimination. Economist Richard Wolff considers the real cost of racism in the United States.Plus- Why don't cops have to carry insurance?.. And are the ethno-staters persuadable or will they fall in line with Trump's fascism?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thomas Paine referred to the vote as the beating heart of democracy. Donald Trump is trying to rip that heart out of our republic.Does Ron DeSantos want to make it legal in Florida to hit left-wing protestors with cars? Nikki Fried, the elected Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services joins Thom with the story.Plus- in confronting genocide how can we avoid becoming the genocider?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Popular Information's Judd Legum takes a deep dive with Thom looking at the QAnon cult- how many people believe this stuff, and why? Could it be another step towards American fascism?And as Trump considers adding another conservative Catholic to the Supreme Court, should we be concerned about the dominance of Catholics on the court?- Is this the work of a cult or cults within Catholicism that want to impose their views on the world?What is really at risk in our lives if a conservative court majority takes power for many years to come? And more immediately, why is Trump talking about 'judges looking at ballots'?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Anthony Fauci has warned us once again that Covid may surge again in the Fall. And yet Donald Trump said in a rally that the coronavirus, “Affects virtually nobody.“ Apparently “virtually nobody” means 200,000 dead Americans, ranging in age from the elderly to infants. The one thing he definitely appears to have noticed is that this virus most easily kills elderly Social Security voters and Black and Brown people. Is Trump's strategy a kind of genocide?And as Trump tells Minnesotans they have good genes, and praised Robert E. Lee, and as we find out government doctors are conducting mass hysterectomies and guards are raping women in Trump's border prisons-- is all of this a part of an ugly fascist policy of racism? Will we wake up before it's too late?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A hard-right Supreme Court nominee could completely alter life as we know it. Ruth Bader Ginsberg has died, and the nation mourns. While everybody is focusing on abortion, the Supreme Court, if it falls into hard-core conservative hands, could actually do massive damage to the entire spectrum of life in America. Could everything from Social Security to Medicaid to minimum wage laws be threatened?Conservatives don’t just want to take America back to the 1950s; they want to take us back to the 1920s. We all must encourage Democratic members of Congress to do everything possible to hold the line against Trump putting another radical right-winger on the Supreme Court.Alphonso David of the Human Rights Campaign joins Thom on what's at stake on the Supreme Court for LGBTQ freedoms and marriage equality. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hiding coronavirus numbers and masking the facts seems to be the Trump administration's plan in shirking responsibility for the lethal epidemic. Donald Trump's plan to use the already failed strategy of herd immunity might run into a big problem -- herd immunity doesn't really work how he thinks he does, and millions could be lost before this is over.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Trump works to make the oligarchs- and especially himself- rich. As the author of 'Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America", Sarah Kendior, joins Thom.. how far has Trump gone in ignoring the interests of the common American in favor of the very rich, or even of organized crime?And, Lisa Graves of True North research has been diving into the records of our pro-Trump Postmaster General. Did he steal his brother's mail in order to steal some of his brother's assets? Did donating more than half a million dollars to Trump's campaign help him get the job?Plus- Why do we keep halfway believing much of what Trump says?.. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is Mike Pompeo planning to begin seizing Iranian ships to egg on a war to help get Trump re-elected? Dr. Trita Parsi has the story. Are Trump and Barr conspiring to foul up the election so that it can be decided according to the 12th amendment by the states where Republicans have a solid majority? Did Trump just admit as much? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Trump's new "herd mentality" strategy for dealing with the corona virus is beyond incompetent: its evil. Trump's latest failure could kill 6 million Americans.Adrian Shelley, Director of Public Citizen Texas joins Thom on the hazards of methane pollution and wasted energy under Trump's rollback regulations.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Trump refuses to take responsibility for doing nothing to stop climate change that is leading to things like the massive fires on the west coast. Conservatives try to claim that environmentalists are to blame, but is it really more to do with clear-cutting by timber companies? Is it possible to harvest trees profitably without clear cutting in a way that makes the forest more fire-resistant?And did Trump undermine the existing Forest Service regulations that were helping to limit the fires? Plus- good ideas and bad ideas for filtering air... and the #1 thing we must do in November to fight climate change.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.